Healthcare menus cater to consumers’ plant-based preferences

Food cost is ever top of mind for foodservice operators. Trimming costs when possible can make a big difference in overall budgets, and one way that some operators are doing so is by stretching protein budgets. By menuing more plant-based meals—whether by making them totally vegetarian/vegan or simply more focused on vegetables with less meat—operators can offer their customers healthier options while managing food costs.

Meat is a high-cost purchase for foodservice locations, but the move toward meatless dishes is not just about money. Rather, operators who are doing so are doing so to cater to diners who are looking for more meatless options, whether they’re vegetarian or vegan or just looking to cut back on their meat intake.

Here are a few tips for innovating with both meatless and less-meat dishes.

Create blended options

Vegetarian dishes have a reputation for being a healthier choice—Technomic’s 2017 Center of the Plate: Seafood & Vegetarian report finds that the reason 68% of diners choose a vegetarian/vegan dish is because they are trying to eat healthier and consider vegetarian options to be healthier. Eric Eisenberg, CEC, CCA, director of dining services at Rogue Valley Manor in Medford, Ore., notes the increase in interest in plant-based dishes because of the health benefits. “We are seeing more and more doctors ‘prescribing’ better food choices as a way of preventing diseases, slowing the advancement of chromic conditions and extending life. People want to live longer,” he says.

But no matter how healthy or tasty the vegetarian option is, there will always be customers who want something that has meat in it.

For these diners, blended options, such as vegetable-beef blended burgers or black-bean meatballs are great dishes. They cut the amount of meat being used, which in turn means they cost less for operators to prepare and serve.  And, because there’s less meat used, diners who are trying to eat healthier can still feel great about eating them.

Incorporate new flavors into meatless options

Another option to stretch the budget is to go completely meat-free for some dishes or meals. Though only about 15% of consumers follow semi-vegetarian or more restrictive diets, most people (67%) say they eat a vegetarian or vegan dish at least once a week, according to Technomic’s 2017 Center of the Plate: Seafood & Vegetarian report.

Eisenberg says his biggest wins come from simply swapping in veggies for meat. “The way we are most successful is by taking a dish we are already making for that meal and plant-basing it,” he says. “For example, if we are serving a gyro pita for lunch, we would grill portobello mushrooms and substitute thin slices of mushrooms for the meat. Or perhaps BBQ ribs would become BBQ tempeh ribs, or tacos al pastor becomes jackfruit tacos al pastor.”

Growing guest interest in plant-based meals mean it’s easier than ever for operators to put veggies at the forefront on the menu. And because today’s consumers are interested in trying new flavors and foods from time to time—according to Technomic’s 2017 Flavor report, 28% of consumers say they are more interested in trying new flavors now than they were a year ago—operators can spread their creative wings and save money at the same time, since veggies and beans tend to cost less than meat.

Options such as sweet potatoes topped with spinach and curried chickpeas, for instance, are a tasty, protein-packed entree, and yuca black bean fritters are a unique option that can be offered as an appetizer or an entree. Top pastas and other meatless dishes with Matbutcha, a riff on spaghetti sauce that features ingredients like green chilies, red pepper, garlic, paprika, chipotle powder, cumin, cilantro and coriander.

“Our vegans really just like having options beyond the grains or vegetables that are on the menu. So anytime we compose a dish, even if it is a meatless version of something that is already on the menu, it’s a win for them and, in turn, a win for us,” Eisenberg says.

In short, the more flavorful a dish is, the more likely a customer is to be satisfied with it—meatless or otherwise. Offer diners a variety of meatless or less-meat options to save on the budget as well as keep consumers coming back for more.